With the MEF 3.0 transformational global services framework, MEF is focused on defining, delivering, and certifying assured services orchestrated across a global ecosystem of automated networks. The MEF Community has made significant strides across all key elements of the framework, including: standardized services; LSO APIs; services, technology, and professional certification; and community collaboration. Dozens of service providers, technology vendors, enterprises, and industry organizations have been involved in initiatives to accelerate adoption of MEF 3.0 services that empower users with the dynamic performance, assurance, and security required to thrive in the digital economy.

MEF currently is focused on enabling service providers to (1) transform their businesses, services, and networks through automation, skills development, etc., (2) federate on a global basis, and (3) certify their service offerings to the highest global standard. Today’s workshops will explore recently completed MEF work, project roadmaps, and planned initiatives designed to empower service providers on their digital transformation journey.

MEF 3.0 services redefine innovation by providing an on-demand, cloud-centric experience with unprecedented user- and application-directed control over network resources and service capabilities. They are delivered over automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO, SDN, and NFV. The planned MEF 3.0 service family includes dynamic Carrier Ethernet, SD-WAN, Optical Transport, IP, Security-as-a-Service, and other virtualized services that will be orchestrated over programmable networks using LSO APIs. MEF is advancing standardization work across each major type of MEF 3.0 service.

This session provides a quick overview of the MEF 3.0 services family, explains how service-relate standards are created, and provides a snapshot of the MEF 3.0 services roadmap. Attend the following sessions for details on specific services projects.

MEF 3.0 CE is the third generation of MEF-defined Carrier Ethernet services providing the highest level of performance, assurance, and agility available in the nearly $60 billion global CE services market. The comprehensive MEF 3.0 CE service portfolio includes a set of subscriber services (E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree) and a set of operator services (Access E-Line, Access E-LAN, Transit E-Line, and Transit E-LAN) that can be orchestrated over programmable networks using LSO APIs. Attend this session to get up to speed on the latest MEF 3.0 CE standards and what is next on the roadmap. 

In May 2019, MEF published its IP Service Attributes (MEF 61.1) standard that is a foundational step for defining standardized MEF 3.0 IP services that can be orchestrated across multiple service providers. MEF 61.1 specifies the service attributes that need to be agreed upon between a service provider and a subscriber for IP services (including IP VPNs, cloud access, and Internet access) as well as the attributes that need to be agreed upon between a service provider and an operator when part of an end-to-end IP service is implemented by a partner operator. MEF has built upon this work to create its new draft IP Subscriber Service Definitions (MEF 69) standard, which defines Basic Internet Access and Advanced Internet Access.  MEF 69 is in the final stage of MEF membership and Board approval. Attend this session to gain insight into these groundbreaking new standards and other active MEF 3.0 IP services projects.

In 2018, MEF published its first Optical Transport services standard (MEF 63) for subscriber services that support Ethernet and Fibre Channel client protocols as well as SONET/SDH client protocols for legacy WAN services. MEF is working towards the release of a companion Optical Transport services standard for operator services in Q4 2019 that will enable simplified, faster interconnection between operators and service providers. The primary reason to define these services is to bring them into the LSO environment, which enables service providers to leverage automated ordering and configuration processes and thereby improve service delivery times, speed time-to-revenue, and lower OPEX. Attend this session to learn more about the MEF 3.0 Optical Transport service standards and what is next on the roadmap. 

In July 2019, MEF published the industry’s first global standard defining an SD-WAN service and its service attributes to help accelerate SD-WAN market growth and facilitate creation of powerful new hybrid networking solutions that are optimized for digital transformation. MEF’s SD-WAN Service Attributes and Services (MEF 70) standard describes requirements for an application-aware, over-the-top WAN connectivity service that uses policies to determine how application flows are directed over multiple underlay networks irrespective of the underlay technologies or service providers who deliver them.

MEF 70, among other things, defines:

• Service attributes that describe the externally visible behavior of an SD-WAN service as experienced by the subscriber.
• Rules associated with how traffic is handled.
• Key technical concepts and definitions like an SD-WAN UNI, the SD-WAN Edge, SD-WAN Tunnel Virtual Connections, SD-WAN Virtual Connection End Points, and Underlay Connectivity Services.

Attend this session to gain insight into work already underway on the next phase of MEF 3.0 SD-WAN standardization – MEF w70.1. This work includes defining:

• Additional service attributes for application flow performance and business importance.
• Underlay connectivity service parameters required to deploy an SD-WAN service.

SD-WAN benefits end customers by enhancing their applications network traffic. The appetite to combine application protection with network efficiency is high. Hence, MEF is focused on defining the first standard description of a security service. Security done wrong actually could negate SD-WAN benefits in speed and availability.

MEF’s Application Security for SD-WAN project is focused on defining policy criteria and actions to protect applications (application flows) over a MEF 3.0 SD-WAN service. Work includes defining threats, security functions, and security policy terminology and attributes, and then describing what actions a security policy should take in response to certain threats. Attend this session to learn more about Application Security for SD-WAN services and how you can benefit from and/or contribute to this work.

MEF’s LSO Reference Architecture guides agile development of standardized LSO APIs that enable end-to-end automation of MEF 3.0 services across multiple providers and over multiple network technology domains (e.g., Optical Transport, CE, IP, 5G, etc.). With LSO, service providers are able to evolve from a silo-structured BSS/OSS approach towards flexible orchestration that helps maximize return on SDN and NFV investments. In addition, the combination of standardized MEF 3.0 services and LSO APIs enables service providers to transition from operating as independent islands to being integral players in a worldwide federation of cloud-like networks supporting dynamic services across multiple providers. MEF is progressing initiatives for multiple LSO interface reference points that facilitate not only service provider transformation and federation, but will also extend service orchestration to 5G mobile networks, cloud players, and enterprise customers for a seamless on-demand, application-aware networking experience. 

MEF’s initial Intent-Based Networking (IBN) work aims to enable an SD-WAN service subscriber to set intent-related performance and security objectives and have those be translated into granular technical policies at the network level. Toward this goal, MEF is building Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) – using restricted natural languages – that will simplify LSO APIs that sit between end-users and service providers. In this session, we will explore motivations for using IBN, explain how intent can be applied within the LSO Framework, walk through an example of IBN for SD-WAN application performance, and share a perspective on how the industry can evolve toward model-driven, policy-based, AI-assisted orchestration.

MEF has been working with many of the world’s leading service and technology providers, open source projects, and standards associations to realize a shared vision of dynamic and assured services orchestrated across automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO, SDN, NFV, SD-WAN, and Carrier Ethernet technologies. In this Workshop, we will provide a preview of the MEF 3.0 PoCs at MEF19 and also explore how companies can become involved in MEF 3.0 PoC activities throughout the year.

The sixth annual MEF 3.0 PoC Showcase at MEF19 brings together 46 of the world’s leading service and technology providers in 15 teams to present groundbreaking demonstrations of SD-WAN, inter-provider and intra-provider service automation with LSO APIs, AI/ML, security, intent-based networking, Blockchain, Carrier Ethernet, satellite services, 5G, network slicing, IoT, private cloud, service assurance, and more.

Collaboration between multiple service providers and technology vendors in MEF 3.0 PoCs provides clear benefits for all parts of the MEF 3.0 ecosystem. The workshop will explain the lifecycle of MEF 3.0 PoCs, how to create or join them, and how to achieve the greatest value from them.

MEF’s service, technology, and professional certification programs are designed to accelerate availability and adoption of MEF 3.0 solutions and help ensure competitiveness now and in the future. MEF 3.0 certification enables service and technology providers to validate that their solutions comply with the highest industry standards for performance, assurance, and agility. Certification also facilitates the creation of federated networks by streamlining inter-provider interconnection with a common understanding of well-defined service attributes and orchestration processes. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of currently available MEF 3.0 CE certifications and the new pilot MEF 3.0 SD-WAN service and LSO Sonata certification programs.

On the professional certification front, MEF has expanded its offerings to include MEF-SDN/NFV and MEF Network Foundations (MEF-NF) certifications in addition to the popular MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) certification. MEF offers the only vendor-neutral industry accreditations that recognize the technical depth required in SDN, NFV, and CE technologies to support successful network and service transformation. The MEF-SDN/NFV exam and related training programs incorporate general SD-WAN information.

The communications industry is in the midst of a multi-year transformation to dynamic and assured services across a global ecosystem of automated networks, as envisioned in the MEF 3.0 framework. There is a growing consensus that service providers must become more cloud-like and automated to deliver powerful networking solutions that provide unprecedented user- and application-directed control over network resources and service capabilities. But it will not be enough for providers to offer dynamic connectivity and virtualized services over just their own networks. Providers must transition from operating as independent islands to being integral players in a worldwide business federation supporting dynamic services across multiple operators. To realize this vision, MEF has advanced standardization of a full family of MEF 3.0 services – including Carrier Ethernet, SD-WAN, Optical Transport, IP, and Application Security for SD-WAN – and progressed standardization of MEF LSO Sonata APIs that are foundational to orchestrating these services across federated networks. Enjoy an extraordinary opportunity to hear from senior leaders – including several MEF Board members – at world-leading service providers who have embraced the MEF 3.0 vision and are committed to accelerating industry innovation.

In this session we will discuss the next steps Communications Service Providers can take to better scale and increase value of their SD-WAN offerings with service automation, including multiple SD-WAN options,  partner-based value added VNF services, active resource management, closed looped assurance, and strong service differentiation.

MEF and ONUG recently announced joint collaboration to ensure that enterprises are provided with SD-WAN services optimized for digital transformation in the multi-cloud era. In this session, we bring together ONUG, enterprise, and federal government perspectives to explore end user requirements in hybrid multi-cloud environments. We will discuss use case requirements for typical deployment scenarios, including multiple cloud provider connections, application performance assurance, scaling, security policy enforcement, and more.

More than 50 service providers worldwide have voiced support for development and adoption of MEF LSO Sonata APIs to automate business-to-business interactions between service providers. The full suite of planned LSO Sonata APIs deals with serviceability (address validation, site queries, product offering qualification), product inventory, quoting, ordering, trouble ticketing, contracts, and billing. In June 2019, MEF introduced LSO Sonata SDK Release 3 that includes deliverables that enable market adoption of the APIs for serviceability, product inventory, quoting, and ordering. This panel assembles buy & sell perspectives to explore the business case for LSO Sonata API adoption particularly related to Carrier Ethernet service automation, including examination of 10+ key impact areas within three broad categories: competitive advantage services, revenue, and operations.

Service providers recognize uCPE value (automation, independent hardware/software optimization, service function chains, etc.), but are still struggling with the business case when compared to traditional appliances and routers. In this session, we will discuss the challenges of uCPE mass deployment - including performance, hardware costs, complexity, and management integration - and we will review recent technological improvements that alleviate them.

Principal industry analysts will share key findings from two new reports timed with MEF19:  (1) MEF 3.0: SD-WAN Service Strategies published by Heavy Reading/Light Reading and (2) SD-WAN Managed Services Trends published by Futuriom.

Achieving automation is challenging in an increasingly diverse telco environment with VNFs/PNFs, VMs/containers and multiple cloud platforms. Many gaps exist today and yet automation is a must for new agile 5G services. In this session, we will discuss steps to fix these shortfalls to enable full end-to-end automation from the service layer.

Open networking has moved rapidly from concept to reality, creating new opportunities for network operators to maximize the return on Layer 0-3 network investments while improving their service agility and accelerating the speed of innovation. Network operators who understand the benefits of adopting open and disaggregated networking technologies are transforming their networks to become more competitive, profitable, and innovative. This presentation will explore the latest trends in open networking, including disaggregated solutions that break down the restrictions of vendor lock-in, drive down network costs, and most importantly give operators access to innovative new solutions that provide true differentiation and address the operational challenges of launching new services such as 5G.

Service providers must become more agile to effectively compete and profit in a market shaped by intensifying threats from OTT providers who offer competitive services on the cloud, where connectivity is pure Internet. What is the differentiating value today of telecom service providers vs. OTT providers? What needs to change – and what can be changed – to enable service providers to provide greater value beyond connectivity? What do service providers need to incorporate into their service portfolios to give them a competitive edge vs. OTT players?

Virtualization is a defacto technology in building systems and services. Cloud is the default. 5G enables the real-time enterprises, while mobile users generate most of the traffic on the network. With dynamic users and growing data, intelligence in the network and in applications is a necessity to deal with complexity and support user demands. In this talk, we will describe Verizon’s SDN/NFV vision, 5G ecosystems, network slicing associated with 5G and SD-WAN, and multi-access edge.

What roles do artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) play in the automated virtual networks of tomorrow? Where do we stand with adoption and the challenges operators are facing in selecting models that best represent customized networks?

5G is quickly evolving from technology creation to commercial realization, but will new technology deployments meet the business case promises? Doing so means that the operations (OSS) and monetization (BSS) functions must be enhanced within each of the fulfillment, assurance, and billing domains. What kind of enhancements are needed? Think real-time, partner ecosystems, software usage rights, edge-core, platforms, and operations/monetization orchestration. Can existing OSS BSS address these new needs? That depends on a lot of factors. Attend this panel discussion to learn more.

This presentation will explore mobile transport architectural changes as operators ready their network infrastructure for the end-user traffic demands of 5G. Multiple technologies including packet-based, time-sensitive networking, auto-tunable DWDM pluggable optics and revolutionary XR optics technology will be explored. XR optics breaks the inherent limitations in traditional point-to-point optical technology and paves the way for disruptive network economics and dramatic improvements in the 5G customer experience.

The architectural intersection of mobility, software automation, and intelligent optics is key to the success of 5G services. Optical connectivity, however, has historically been implemented using point-to-point technology that is inflexible and/or requires manual programming with matched identical-speed transceivers on each end of the fiber link. These point-to-point solutions are inefficient and inflexible in handling hub-and-spoke traffic flows, which dominate traffic patterns in mobile aggregation networks. The result is increased CapEx and OpEx stemming from an extremely large number of transceivers, increased space and power requirements, and manual intervention including truck rolls as traffic requirements grow. Operational costs and complexity are compounded as operators brace for the significant increase in 5G traffic.

With game-changing innovations in time-sensitive networking, auto-tunable optics, and coherent optical subcarrier aggregation, we can introduce a flexible, software-enabled mobile transport architecture designed to reduce the cost and complexity of deploying and operating 5G transport networks.